{"id":1861,"date":"2026-06-16T17:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T17:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1861"},"modified":"2026-06-16T17:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T17:04:52","slug":"florida-couple-in-ivf-clinics-embryo-mix-up-will-keep-baby-who-is-not-genetically-theirs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1861","title":{"rendered":"Florida couple in IVF clinic’s embryo mix-up will keep baby who is not genetically theirs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A Florida couple embroiled in an embryo mix-up will keep their infant after reaching a custody agreement with the baby\u2019s biological parents.<\/p>\n

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Tiffany Score and Steven Mills sued the Fertility Center of Orlando and its lead reproductive endocrinologist in January after learning that the daughter whom Score had given birth to a month earlier was not genetically related to her or Mills.<\/p>\n

Score and Mills, who are both white, had undergone in vitro fertilization at the Longwood, Florida, clinic and pursued genetic testing because their baby \u201cdisplayed the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child,\u201d their lawsuit said. The testing revealed that the baby, named Shea, was 100% South Asian, according to Score and Mills\u2019 attorney.<\/p>\n

The suit prompted a search for the couple whose embryo had been mistakenly implanted into Score and, in April, attorneys for Score and Mills announced that Shea\u2019s biological parents had been found. Identified in court documents only as Patient 004, the biological parents\u2019 names have been kept confidential. <\/p>\n

In a court filing Friday, attorney for Score and Mills, Mara Hatfield, wrote that her clients and Patient 004 had \u201ccome to a mutually devised custody agreement\u201d that recognizes Score and Mills\u2019 rights as the \u201cpermanent custodial parents of their daughter.\u201d No additional details were provided.<\/p>\n

Circuit Court Judge Margaret Schreiber expressed support for the news in a court hearing Monday. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad the parties have reached an agreement while this child is relatively young,\u201d Schreiber said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe number of babies born using in vitro fertilization, or IVF, is growing every year in the U.S., but there are still a lot of misconceptions about what IVF actually is. Here\u2019s what you need to know.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

The custody agreement is a significant development in Score and Mills\u2019 extraordinary situation, which has little precedent: Embryo mix-ups are known to have happened to only a handful of other families. Since the start of their legal odyssey, Score and Mills repeatedly made clear that they wanted to keep Shea, saying in their lawsuit that they created an \u201cintensely strong emotional bond\u201d starting in pregnancy. After Shea\u2019s biological parents were identified, Score and Mills said that they would \u201clove and will be this child\u2019s parents forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The defendants have not disputed that Shea \u201cshould be, but is not, the genetic child\u201d of the plaintiffs, according to Schreiber\u2019s summary in court filings.<\/p>\n

An attorney representing Shea\u2019s biological parents did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Neither did the fertility clinic, reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Milton McNichol, or their attorneys. <\/p>\n

The case has put a spotlight on the IVF industry in the United States, which experts say lacks oversight compared to other developed countries.<\/p>\n

The Fertility Clinic of Orlando has faced legal and financial tumult and announced this spring that it would be closing. Another IVF network opened in the same location.<\/p>\n

Score and Mills\u2019 case is pending while genetic testing is conducted on a frozen embryo that the clinic said belongs to them. That embryo has since been moved to a different facility. <\/p>\n

In a statement Monday provided by their attorney, the couple said they were committed to respecting the privacy of Shea\u2019s biological parents, \u201cwith whom they have begun and intend to continue to foster a relationship of friendship and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Potential Tropical Cyclone One prompts tropical storm watches in Texas, Louisiana<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Florida couple embroiled in an embryo mix-up will keep their infant after reaching a custody agreement with the baby\u2019s biological parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida couple in IVF clinic's embryo mix-up will keep baby who is not genetically theirs - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1861\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida couple in IVF clinic's embryo mix-up will keep baby who is not genetically theirs - 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