Legal Definitions - directly

Directly refers to an action, communication, or consequence that is immediate, straightforward, and without any intervening steps, intermediaries, or detours. It implies a clear, unbroken link or an unmediated interaction.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Example 1: A customer who has a complaint about a product chooses to contact the company's CEO directly, rather than going through customer service or a sales representative.

  Explanation: This illustrates "directly" in the sense of communicating without an intermediary. The customer bypasses the usual channels to reach the principal decision-maker in a straightforward manner.

• Example 2: A new government regulation mandates that all food manufacturers must directly label products containing certain allergens, rather than relying on a general disclaimer.

  Explanation: Here, "directly" means that the labeling requirement must be applied immediately and without ambiguity to the specific products. It emphasizes a clear, unmediated application of the rule.

• Example 3: During a criminal trial, the prosecutor presented evidence showing that the defendant's actions directly caused the victim's injuries, without any other contributing factors.

  Explanation: In this context, "directly" highlights a clear, unbroken causal link. It means there was no intermediate event or outside influence that broke the chain of causation between the defendant's actions and the resulting harm.