The case, Kocak v. Harmony Public Schools (No. 25‑50426), arose after Kemal Kocak, a District Manager of Facilities for Harmony Public Schools, was terminated following a workplace altercation. Kocak had objected to implementing a new timekeeping system, believing it would allow Harmony and Turkish intelligence to track him. After a heated confrontation with his supervisor and a subsequent discussion with a coworker, that coworker assaulted him by striking him with a chair. Harmony placed the coworker on leave and later fired him—but also terminated Kocak, citing insubordination and unprofessional conduct.
Kocak sued under Title VII and Texas law, alleging discrimination based on national origin, retaliation, and hostile work environment. The district court granted summary judgment to Harmony, finding that Kocak failed to produce evidence supporting essential elements of each claim. He identified no comparator outside his protected class who was treated more favorably, offered no evidence that Harmony’s stated reasons for firing him were pretextual, and could not show that the decisionmaker knew of any prior discrimination complaints. His hostile‑environment claim also failed because he provided no specific evidence of harassment, and Harmony took prompt remedial action after the assault.
On appeal, the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The court noted that Kocak largely ignored the district court’s reasoning and instead focused on re‑describing the August 2021 incident and speculating about administrators’ reactions. Because he did not meaningfully challenge the district court’s legal conclusions—particularly regarding comparators, causation, and evidence of harassment—he effectively forfeited his arguments. The appellate court therefore upheld the summary judgment in Harmony’s favor.
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