A Florida couple who welcomed a baby last year have filed a lawsuit against an IVF clinic after genetic testing allegedly showed that their daughter is not biologically related to either of them.
According to a lawsuit obtained by People, Tiffany Score and her husband Steven Mills sought fertility treatment in April last year at Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood, Florida. Their complaint also names Milton McNichol, who was involved in their care. Through IVF, the couple produced and froze three viable embryos.
A pregnancy without doubt
Last April, Score was implanted with what she believed was one of those embryos. The couple say they had no reason to question the process during the pregnancy. Like many first time parents, they prepared for their baby’s arrival and, on December 11, welcomed a daughter they named Shea Score Mills.
However, the joy of the birth quickly gave way to shock. The couple, who are both White, say it was immediately apparent that Shea did not resemble either of them. “It is obvious,” attorney Jack Scarola tells People.
Genetic testing later confirmed, according to the lawsuit, that Shea is not biologically related to either parent.
Love mixed with fear and heartbreak
{{/usCountry}}Genetic testing later confirmed, according to the lawsuit, that Shea is not biologically related to either parent.
Love mixed with fear and heartbreak
{{/usCountry}}Despite the devastating discovery, the couple say they deeply love their child. They describe Shea as “a beautiful, healthy baby girl whom we love more than words can express,” but say they feel “a moral obligation to find her genetic parents.”
“Our joy over her birth is further complicated by the devastating reality that her genetic parents—whom we do not yet know—or possibly another family entirely, may have received the child we conceived,” they said in a statement obtained by People. “We are heartbroken, devastated, and confused.”
They also fear that their daughter could be taken from them and given to her biological parents, a prospect they describe as almost unbearable.
Investigation and court intervention
The lawsuit does not seek monetary damages. Instead, the couple are asking for information about Shea’s biological parents and the fate of their own embryos. Scarola says the clinic has so far provided no answers, prompting the legal action.
In a now deleted notice on the clinic’s website, cited by the Orlando Sentinel, the centre said it was cooperating with an investigation into the source of an error that led to the birth of a child not genetically related to the parents. Attorneys for the clinic argue that privacy laws limit what can be shared.
Scarola told People that a court hearing scheduled for January 30 is expected to allow a judge to act as an intermediary in determining what information can be disclosed. No further court dates have yet been set.