A couple in Florida has filed a lawsuit against a fertility clinic after learning that the baby they welcomed through in vitro fertilization (IVF) is not biologically related to either of them.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills sought IVF treatment from IVF Life, operating as the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood, nearly five years ago. After having embryos created and frozen, one was implanted in April, and Score later gave birth to a baby girl. However, the couple soon became concerned when the child appeared racially different from both parents, who are white.
Genetic testing later confirmed their fears: the baby was not biologically theirs. The couple alleges that the clinic committed a serious error, possibly implanting the wrong embryo. They filed a lawsuit on January 22 after claiming the clinic failed to respond to repeated attempts to seek clarification.
Despite the shock, the couple said they have grown deeply attached to the child and want to continue raising her. However, they fear that the baby’s biological parents could eventually come forward and claim custody. They are also worried that one of their own embryos may have been mistakenly implanted into another patient.
As part of the lawsuit, the couple is demanding full transparency from the clinic, including an accounting of their remaining embryos and disclosure to other patients who stored embryos at the facility during the same period. They are also calling for genetic testing to be offered to children born through the clinic over the past five years.
The clinic said it is cooperating with an investigation, though its public statement on the matter was later removed. A judge has ordered the facility to submit a detailed plan on how it will address the situation. The case comes amid reports that the clinic had previously been cited for safety and procedural violations.
