# Addendum and rebuttal reports that answer only the new material

> New records or another expert's report get a short, linked opinion, not a rewrite of the original.

Source: https://imecore.com/use-cases/addendum-and-rebuttal

## New records arrive and someone forwards the whole file again

You send over a late bundle and ask whether the opinion changes. The original report lives in email. The new pages are not marked. The examiner re-reads the file they already read, or writes a new report that quietly contradicts the first one.

- The original questions and the new questions get mixed.
- Nobody can show which pages are new since the first report.
- The rebuttal restates the whole opinion instead of answering the other expert.
- The trial or hearing date is close and the original file is marked closed.
- Billing treats the addendum as a second full examination.

## What IMECore does about it

### Opened on the original file

The addendum inherits the record set, the original questions, and the signed report. Nobody re-keys the claimant.

### Only the new pages are new

We mark what arrived after the first report. The examiner sees the delta, not a second unsorted dump.

### Addendum and rebuttal kept distinct

An addendum answers new records or new questions. A rebuttal answers another expert. The headings follow the job you named.

### The original opinion stays in view

The examiner writes against the signed report, and contradictions are flagged before release.

### An answer, not a restatement

Our review checks the report addresses the new material instead of reprinting the original findings.

### A shorter fee against your hearing date

Quoted as an addendum, not a second examination, against the hearing date you name.

## How it runs

1. **Point us at the original file.** Send the new records or the other expert's report with the original report. No new file is opened.
2. **Name the new question.** State whether this is an addendum or a rebuttal, and which question the original report did not cover.
3. **We brief the delta.** The examiner gets the new pages, the original opinion, and your question, not the whole file again.
4. **You get a short linked report.** Checked against the original opinion, then released with a link back to the first report.

## Questions people ask

### What is the difference between an addendum and a rebuttal?

An addendum answers new records or a new question from the same party. A rebuttal answers another expert's report. We use different headings for each.

### Does the same examiner have to write it?

Usually yes for an addendum, because it amends their opinion. A rebuttal can be the same examiner or a new one. Tell us which you want when you refer.

### Do we send the whole file again?

No. The file already holds the original brief. Send the new pages and the original report. We show the examiner what changed.

### Can we add an examination to an addendum?

Yes, if the new question needs one. We book it on the same file. If it is paper-only, it stays a file review.

### How is an addendum billed?

As an addendum, approved before work starts. It is not a second full examination unless you ordered one.