JYNews-Imagine waiting years to start a family, investing thousands of dollars, and enduring the emotional rollercoaster of IVF, only to realize the baby you just brought home isn’t yours. This isn’t the plot of a Hollywood thriller; it is the reality currently facing Steven Mills and Tiffany Score. The Florida couple has filed a high-stakes lawsuit against the Fertility Center of Orlando, alleging a catastrophic error that has changed their lives forever.
A Joyful Arrival Turned Into a Genetic Mystery
The journey began five years ago when Steven and Tiffany decided to freeze their embryos at the Fertility Center of Orlando, hoping to secure their future family. In early 2025, they finally moved forward with an implantation. In December, Tiffany gave birth to a “beautiful, healthy female child” named Shea. The couple was initially overjoyed, but as the days passed, they couldn’t ignore a striking physical reality.
Both Steven and Tiffany are White, yet their newborn daughter appeared to be “racially non-Caucasian.” This visual discrepancy led the couple to seek answers through genetic testing. The results were a bombshell: the baby Tiffany had carried for nine months and birthed was not biologically related to either of them. The lawsuit claims the clinic somehow implanted the wrong embryo into Tiffany’s uterus, a mistake that suggests a massive failure in the clinic’s internal protocols.
The Heart-Wrenching Search for the Truth
The physical shock was only the beginning. The couple is now haunted by a terrifying thought: if they have someone else’s child, who has theirs? The lawsuit, filed in Orange County on January 22, expresses their deep concern that another couple may have been implanted with their biological embryos. This “embryo swap” scenario implies that somewhere out there, another family might be raising Steven and Tiffany’s biological child without even knowing it.
Despite the clinical nature of the mistake, the human element is incredibly complex. Tiffany and Steven have spent months bonding with Shea. They describe an “intensely strong emotional bond” that grew throughout the pregnancy and continues to strengthen every day. They have stated they would willingly keep and raise her, but they feel a moral obligation to ensure the baby is reunited with her true biological parents—provided those parents are “fit, able, and willing” to take her.
Demanding Accountability and DNA Answers
The legal battle isn’t just about Shea; it’s about systemic accountability. The couple is demanding that the Fertility Center of Orlando help track down their biological embryos and facilitate a reunion between Shea and her genetic family. However, they are going a step further to protect other families. They are asking the court to force the clinic to pay for genetic testing for every child born to parents who used the clinic’s services over the last five years.
This request has met significant pushback. During an emergency hearing, Francis Pierce III, a lawyer representing the clinic, argued that widespread testing poses massive privacy concerns. He noted that other patients would have to consent to such testing, which could open a “Pandora’s box” of legal and emotional chaos for dozens of other families who believe their children are biologically theirs.
A History of Red Flags at the Clinic
As the details of the lawsuit emerge, the spotlight has turned toward the leadership of the Fertility Center of Orlando. The clinic is headed by Dr. Milton McNichol, who is no stranger to regulatory scrutiny. Records show that in May 2024, Dr. McNichol was fined $5,000 following a routine inspection by the Florida State Board of Medicine.
The inspection reportedly uncovered equipment that failed to meet “performance standards” and found that the clinic was not in compliance with a mandatory risk management program. While those fines were related to administrative and equipment issues, the current lawsuit suggests those lapses in oversight may have manifested in the most devastating way possible: a cryogenic storage mix-up.
What Happens Next for the Families?
Currently, both sides are reportedly working toward a quick settlement, but the road ahead is anything but simple. Genetic testing for the clinic’s other patients remains a point of contention, and the search for the biological parents of the baby girl is ongoing.
For Steven and Tiffany, every day is a bittersweet struggle. They continue to care for the child they love, all while knowing that a “legal and moral” reckoning is coming. Their case serves as a sobering reminder of the trust patients place in medical technology and the life-altering consequences that occur when that technology—and the humans running it—fail.
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