CA · jury_instructions
CACI No. 202
Direct and Indirect Evidence
Evidence can come in many forms. It can be testimony about what
someone saw or heard or smelled. It can be an exhibit admitted into
evidence. It can be someone’s opinion.
Direct evidence can prove a fact by itself. For example, if a witness
testifies she saw a jet plane flying across the sky, that testimony is direct
evidence that a plane flew across the sky. Some evidence proves a fact
indirectly. For example, a witness testifies that he saw only the white
trail that jet planes often leave. This indirect evidence is sometimes
referred to as “circumstantial evidence.” In either instance, the witness’s
testimony is evidence that a jet plane flew across the sky.
As far as the law is concerned, it makes no difference whether evidence
is direct or indirect. Y ou may choose to believe or disbelieve either kind.
Whether it is direct or indirect, you should give every piece of evidence
whatever weight you think it deserves.
New September 2003; Revised December 2012
Provenance
- Source
- courts.ca.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-20
- Edition
- caci-2022
- Content hash
23da650376ceef4b16d5825b7803439e2aa8cb5c13e034361465ed7343753077
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