After IVF Implant and Birth, a Lawsuit

UPDATE Apr 23, 2026 2:30 AM CDT

The Florida couple who birthed a daughter only to find out she's not related to them says the baby's biological parents have been identified, NBC News reports. Attorneys for Tiffany Score and Steven Mills say DNA testing revealed the infant is 100% South Asian; Score and Mills are both white. One South Asian couple was identified among all the patients whose egg retrieval and embryo transfer dates were similar to Score's. It is not yet clear what happened to Score and Mills' embryos, but so far, there is no indication that they resulted in the birth of a baby to non-genetic parents. "This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved," the couple says in a statement. "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."

Jan 31, 2026 8:50 AM CST

A Florida couple says the baby they brought home in December isn't biologically theirs, and they're taking things to court to find out whose she is. In a lawsuit against the Fertility Center of Orlando and doctor Milton McNichol, Tiffany Score and Steven Mills say they created and froze three embryos through the clinic, and that one they believed was theirs was transferred to Score last April, per People. The white couple welcomed a daughter, Shea, on Dec. 11. They tell the court they immediately noticed she didn't resemble either of them; genetic testing later indicated Shea isn't related to either parent, according to their attorney.

"Our clients are falling more and more in love with their baby every day," a member of their legal team tells ABC 7 Chicago. Score and Mills say the same, asserting, "We love our little girl," per a statement cited by FOX 35 Orlando. They also say they're not seeking money, per People. Instead, the lawsuit aims to identify Shea's genetic parents and learn what happened to the embryos they produced—amid fears that another family may be unknowingly raising their biological child. They also worry, they say, that Shea could one day be removed from their custody and placed with her genetic parents.

And indeed, experts say that Florida law would generally favor the baby's genetic parents over the person who gave birth, per FOX 35. The clinic previously posted, then removed, a statement online saying it was cooperating with an investigation into an "error" that led to the birth of a child not genetically related to one of its patients, the Orlando Sentinel reports. An attorney for the clinic says it can't disclose patients' health information or force anyone to undergo DNA testing. The couple's lawyer says a court has now ordered relevant information to be submitted to a judge, who will decide what can be shared; a key hearing had been set for Friday. The clinic and McNichol haven't yet commented while the case is pending.