Couple who gave birth to wrong baby in IVF mix-up find biological parents – National
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills filed a lawsuit in Orange County Circuit Court on Jan. 22 against IVF Life, Inc., located in the Orlando area under the Fertility Center of Orlando, and the lead reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Milton McNichol, after learning their daughter, Shea, was not genetically related to either of them.
According to the lawsuit, an embryo was implanted into Score in March 2025, and she gave birth to a “beautiful, healthy female child” in December, but when their daughter appeared to be “racially non-Caucasian,” they ordered genetic testing to see if the baby was theirs.
Earlier this month, Mara Hatfield, one of Score and Mills’ lawyers, told NBC News that DNA testing revealed Shea is 100 per cent South Asian. Hatfield said that the clinic said it had identified one South Asian couple from 16 sets of potential parents whose egg retrieval and embryo transfer dates were around the same time as Score’s.
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Score and Mills said this week that a match confirmed the baby’s genetic parents and that the couple’s identity would remain confidential.
“This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved,” the couple said in a statement issued through their lawyer. “Only one thing is as absolutely certain today as it was on the day our daughter was born — we will love and will be this child’s parents forever.”
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Jack Scarola, a lawyer representing the couple, told People that “remaining questions about the fate of Tiffany and Steven’s unaccounted for embryos … are still pending.”
“The current legal proceeding will remain open to address those matters,” Scarola added. “However, we expect that we will now also begin to focus on the need for our clients to be compensated for the expenses they have incurred and the severe emotional trauma that they endured and will continue to experience.”
Global News has reached out to the Fertility Center of Orlando for further comment.
Scarola sent the clinic a letter on Jan. 5 to inform it of the situation and to co-operate in determining the disposition of their embryos.
“In recognition of the obvious urgency in achieving the requested objectives, a deadline of the close of business on January 7, 2026, was imposed for obtaining a response from the Defendants. As of the filing of this action, no substantive response has been received, although there was an acknowledgement after the imposed deadline,” the filing read.
The legal documents stated that there is “no adequate remedy at law for the ongoing loss, injury and damage inflicted on the Plaintiffs as a direct consequence of the afore-described acts and omissions on the part of the Defendants.”
Score and Mills have created “an intensely strong emotional bond” with the child Score had “carried during the nine months of her pregnancy, and despite the certain knowledge that Baby Doe is not their genetically matched child, the emotional bond grows stronger every minute of every day that Baby Doe remains in their care,” the lawsuit claims.
Score and Mills were requesting “to be fully informed of the disposition of their own embryos and to be relieved of the ever-increasing mental anguish of not knowing whether a child or children belonging to them are in someone else’s care.”
They are also asking for the defendants to pay the expense of free genetic testing for all patients and children of all patients whose birth resulted from embryo implantation at the clinic during the past five years, when they had custody of their three embryos.
Score made a social media post in February, sharing a small update on where the situation stood.
“Although we still don’t have answers in what feels like (and is) an impossible and deeply frustrating situation, what we are feeling right now isn’t anger … it’s gratitude. Gratitude and joy for our healthy, beautiful baby girl,” Score wrote.
“Gratitude that we get to hold her, kiss her, and love her. She is the light of our lives and the one beautiful thing that has come from all of this. No matter how or why this happened, she is ours in every way that matters. The moments we share with her are everything. When the three of us are together, we are incredibly happy — she just melts our hearts,” she added.
Score said that they are “completely obsessed” with their daughter’s “smiles and giggles and look forward to more milestones: reading books, ponytails, taking her to the beach, etc.”
“The love we have for her is indescribable and nothing short of the love we would have for our own genetic child,” she wrote.
Earlier this month, the Fertility Center of Orlando announced on its website it was closing on May 20, saying the decision was made “after thoughtful consideration.”
“Patients are welcomed and encouraged to transition their care to CNY Fertility. CNY Fertility is committed to supporting your continuity of care. You will continue to see many of the same trusted and familiar faces who have been part of your care team, along with additional team members dedicated to supporting you on your journey,” the closure notice read.
The clinic noted that they understand “that fertility care is deeply personal” and that it was “committed to supporting” their clients “during this transition.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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