Steven Mills and Tiffany Score will maintain permanent custody of their daughter Shea following a settlement with her biological parents over a fertility clinic's critical mistake that left them raising a child genetically unrelated to them.
The couple discovered the error last December when their newborn's appearance contradicted what they expected. Mills and Score are both white, yet their infant daughter did not appear to be. Genetic testing confirmed Shea carried no biological connection to either parent.
The mix-up occurred at the Fertility Center of Orlando, where the couple had turned for in-vitro fertilization services. After a normal pregnancy, Score delivered Shea in December 2025. The racial disparity that first alerted them to the problem proved to be the mechanism that uncovered what might otherwise have remained hidden indefinitely.
"In the absence of the racial disparity that alerted [Mills and Score] to your inexcusable error, the fact and results of the error might be concealed for years or left undiscovered indefinitely," attorney Jack Scarola wrote to the clinic in January court documents.
Mills and Score filed suit seeking identification of Shea's biological parents, identified in court records only as Patient 004, along with demands that the clinic fund genetic testing of other children born to its patients. The couple had stored three embryos at the facility: one resulted in miscarriage, another was moved to a different facility, and the third remains accounted for.
Despite the circumstances, the couple had developed what their complaint described as an "intensely strong emotional bond" with Shea. They wanted to keep her while also ensuring she would be "legally and morally united with her genetic parents."
The settlement reached last week resolves those competing interests. Terms of the agreement will remain confidential under the court filing, though Mills and Score issued a statement in April underscoring their commitment to their daughter regardless of the lingering unanswered questions about their own embryos.
"Only one thing is as absolutely certain as it was on the day our daughter was born: we will love and be this child's parents forever," they said.
The Fertility Center of Orlando shut down operations on May 20, according to an announcement posted on its website. The clinic's troubles extended beyond the embryo mix-up. The facility also faced separate legal claims alleging medical malpractice and negligence tied to a 2024 surrogate pregnancy that ended with the infant's death shortly after birth.
Author James Rodriguez: "This case cuts to the heart of what parenthood actually means, and these two got it right by fighting for their daughter while respecting her biological family's rights."
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