The agreement closes a painful legal chapter for one Florida family while highlighting the extraordinary emotional, financial and ethical burdens faced by couples who rely on assisted reproduction to become parents.
A Florida couple whose dream of parenthood turned into a legal and emotional nightmare has reached a custody agreement allowing them to keep the child they raised after discovering she was not genetically related to either of them, bringing a measure of closure to one of the most extraordinary IVF mix-up cases in recent memory.
Court filings show that Tiffany Score and Steven Mills, who sued the Fertility Center of Orlando earlier this year after alleging the wrong embryo was implanted during an IVF procedure, have agreed with the child’s biological parents that they will remain the girl’s permanent custodial parents.
The arrangement, approved by Judge Margaret Schreiber, effectively ends the custody dispute but leaves unanswered questions about how such a devastating mistake occurred—and what became of the couple’s own embryos.
The case underscores the fragile path many couples travel in their quest to have children. For those unable to conceive naturally, assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization often represent years of medical procedures, failed attempts, emotional strain and enormous financial sacrifice. Success is frequently described as nothing short of miraculous, making errors of this magnitude particularly devastating.
According to the lawsuit, Score underwent an embryo transfer in March 2025 and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Shea, in December. It was only after the couple noticed that the child bore little physical resemblance to either parent that they sought DNA testing, which revealed the unimaginable: neither was biologically related to the baby.
Subsequent testing identified the child’s biological parents as another couple, described in court records only as “Patient 004,” setting in motion a complicated legal process involving genetics, parental rights and the emotional bonds formed through caregiving.
Despite the shocking revelation, both families ultimately reached a custody arrangement that prioritizes stability for the child. Score and Mills have repeatedly said their love for the girl never changed.
“This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved,” the couple previously said, vowing to continue raising the child as their own.
Their lawsuit against the fertility clinic, however, remains active. They are seeking compensation for emotional distress and financial losses while demanding answers about the location of their own embryos. Their attorneys have also asked the court to require genetic testing for other patients and children connected to embryo transfers performed while their embryos were stored at the clinic.
Beyond the courtroom, the case has rekindled debate about oversight in the fertility industry. Embryo mix-ups are rare but carry uniquely profound consequences, challenging conventional ideas of parenthood and exposing families to legal uncertainty that can rival the complexities seen in surrogacy disputes.
For many people struggling with infertility, the journey to parenthood is already fraught with disappointment, repeated medical interventions and social stigma. Cases like this amplify those anxieties, highlighting the immense trust patients place in fertility clinics and the potentially life-altering consequences when that trust is broken.
Although the custody battle has now been resolved, the broader search for accountability—and for the embryos Score and Mills had hoped would one day become their biological children—continues.
