I was recently introduced to Judge Caprio. He was a kind, caring, and empathetic judge taking on hard cases in Providence, Rhode Island. Sadly, Judge Caprio passed away on August 20th, 2025.
Many of his cases were heartwrenching. The first case I saw of Judge Carpio’s was of a woman who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. On the day that she received her cancer diagnosis, she also received a parking ticket.
Everything hit her all at once—cancer, ticket, and chemotherapy.
Photo by Fethi Benattallah on Unsplash
She was overwhelmed and missed the deadline to pay the parking ticket. The fine for the parking ticket tripled.
When the woman appeared in court, Judge Caprio and his team exemplified empathetic leadership.
3 Ways Leaders Can Show Empathy
I’ve begun to see many leaders eschewing empathy. Some call it toxic. Others call it weak. I’m calling it a strength. Here’s how Judge Caprio showed empathy to the woman, and how you can show empathy to those on your team.
Notice the problem and offer a solution:
The woman, who was a teacher, was kind and respectful to the judge. The video I saw showed the woman crying and saying she couldn’t talk. It then cuts to her stating her case.
The same day she got her diagnosis for breast cancer, she got the parking ticket. She’d been in and out of the hospital receiving chemotherapy treatment. She missed paying the ticket and now she was in court. She even stated she would pay the original fine. The problem was that the fine was now tripled.
The woman began stumbling over her words. The judge noticed this. He offered her his glass of water from his desk.
Judge Caprio did two things here that showed great empathy: He saw a problem and offered her his drink.
He didn’t need to do this. He could have let the woman continue, unabated. He didn’t. He stopped her. He asked if she would like a drink. Then, he had Danny, his bailiff, bring her his cup of water.
Noticing the problems our team members are facing is only the start. But it’s a great start.
However, leaders have to go a step further. When you see a problem and have a solution at hand, offer the solution.
You’re showing kindness and empathy. That touches people.
Alleviate some of the stress:
After receiving the water, the woman was still stressed. She was visibly shaken. Then, she shares that she was 8 days into chemo. She wasn’t feeling very well.
Baliff/Inspector Daniel “Danny” Carignan sees her frustration. He does something you don’t see very often. He asks the woman if she needs to sit down.
Then he allows her to sit, alleviating some of her stress.
High-pressure situations often cause significant stress for those involved. We regularly push people past their ability to deal with the stress in their lives.
What if instead of continuing to push them to go further and faster, we offer them a seat? We allow them to take a break?
If you notice an employee is struggling, stop pushing them. Give them a brief rest period. Let them get themselves together.
When you allow rest and stress relief, you’re recharging your people.
Give grace:
At the end of the video, Judge Caprio walks up to the woman. He then walks her over to a table where he gets her ticket and fines dismissed.
Judge Caprio gave grace to the woman.
Where can you give grace in your organization? How can you show grace?
Here are some of the ways:
- A faithful employee has recently gotten divorced. She has shown up late to work in excess of the company policy. Give her grace and let her continue working.
- A new employee has made a mistake with a customer’s order. Instead of cursing the employee out, offer to help walk them through correcting the mistake.
Being a leader isn’t about being hard. It’s also not about being soft. However, there’s a happy medium in there where empathy can shine through. Use Judge Caprio’s process to become the empathetic leader your team needs you to be.
Watch The Court Session Below
What Happened After?
After watching the video, I began reading Facebook comments about the case. The woman in the courtroom that day happened to find the video on Facebook and commented on it. She shared how the judge’s actions helped her. She had gone on to receive her treatments and was now cancer-free.
It’s a great reminder that compassion and empathy are a godsend to those who need them. Be the leader who gives it.
