US Couple To Keep And Raise Baby Girl Who Isn't Genetically Theirs After Embryo Mix-Up

A US couple who sued their fertility clinic after an IVF mix-up resulted in the birth of a child who was not biologically theirs have chosen to keep and raise the baby. Steven Mills and Tiffany Score became parents of an infant girl born on December 11, 2025, but quickly realised that something was wrong since they are "Caucasian", and the baby displayed the physical appearance of a non-Caucasian child.

Earlier this year, the couple sued the Fertility Center of Orlando and its lead reproductive endocrinologist after learning that their daughter, whom Score had given birth to a month earlier, was not genetically related to her or Mills. The couple also alleged that at least one of their embryos, created from the couple's sperm and eggs and frozen in 2020, may have been implanted in another woman, who is now raising their biological child.

In April, attorneys representing the couple announced that the baby's biological parents had been found. The names of the biological parents, identified in court documents only as Patient 004, have been kept confidential. A Friday court filing by attorney Mara Hatfield confirms that her clients, Score and Mills, reached a mutual custody agreement with Patient 004, naming them the permanent custodial parents of their daughter, though no further details were disclosed.

The baby's biological parents said they intended to "remain a part of the child's life" while recognising the "impossible situation that both families have been placed in, through no fault of their own".

Circuit Court Judge Margaret Schreiber expressed support for the news in a court hearing on Monday. “I'm glad the parties have reached an agreement, while this child is relatively young,” Schreiber was quoted as saying by Orlando Sentinel.

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Since the start of the legal drama, the couple have maintained that they were willing to raise the baby but felt it was their moral and legal obligation to unite the baby with the genetic parents and hand her over to them if they wished.

"They have fallen in love with this child. They would be thrilled in the knowledge that they could raise this child. But their concern is that this is someone else's child, and someone could show up at any time and claim the baby and take that baby away from them," their attorney said at the time.