White couple give birth to asian baby after IVF mix-up, but they’re keeping the newborn after striking a deal with biological parents

A couple in Florida have chosen to remain the parents of a child that is not biologically theirs after the fertility clinic mix-up saw the mother give birth to a baby of South Asian descent. Tiffany Score and Steven Mills came to an agreement with their child’s biological parents after the confusing mix up.

Score and Mills sued the Fertility Center of Orlando along with the head endocrinologist, Dr. Milton McNichol in January after an IVF mix-up the New York Post reported. The lawsuit came after McNichols allegedly implanted the wrong embryo back in April 2025. The parents only learned of the mistake after Score gave birth to the “non-Caucasian” baby Shea in December 2025. A similar incident happened to a woman in Georgia.

DNA testing on the baby proved that the child was not theirs and was, in fact, 100% South Asian. The couple informed the judge that they had received information from the fertility clinic which “revealed laboratory-clinic errors,” which could speed their case along. IVF is a complicated process but mistakes like these are rare.

The couple had three embryos with the Fertility Center of Orlando with the first resulting in a miscarriage. The clinic had the second embryo but it is not clear what happened to the third one.

Tiffany Score and Steven Mills decide to keep the baby

Despite the fact that the baby that Score gave birth to is not biologically theirs the couple decided to keep 6-month-old baby Shea as they loved her nonetheless. They vowed to remain Shea’s “permanent” parents after identifying and contacting her genetic parents and coming to an agreement. Court papers filed on Friday revealed that Score and Mills had “come to a mutually devised custody agreement.”

The details of the custodial agreement are being kept confidential out of respect to the biological parents but it will allow Scott and Mills to “continue as the permanent custodial parents of their daughter.” The couple previously stated their intent to raise Shea as their own, saying, “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.”

The couple’s lawyer, Jack Scarola, stated that the pair “are committed” to respecting the privacy of Shea’s genetic parents. Scarola added that both parents “have begun and intend to continue to foster a relationship of friendship and trust.”

Meanwhile, Orlando Judge Margaret Schreiber said that she was “glad the parties have reached an agreement while this child is relatively young.”

Scott and Mills also told the Judge that they had chosen another medical center to handle future IVF treatments. The Fertility Clinic of Orlando said that it would shutter by May 20 after “thoughtful consideration.”