Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Florida Couples Reach Custody Deal After IVF Embryo Mix‑Up

Following a confidential agreement, the couple who carried and birthed the child will remain the child’s permanent custodians as legal claims proceed against the closed fertility clinic.

Overview

  • The case began after Tiffany Score gave birth in December 2025 to a daughter who did not match the parents’ genetics, and testing later confirmed the implanted embryo belonged to a different couple.
  • Court papers filed on June 12 recorded a mutually devised custody agreement that recognizes Score and her partner, Steven Mills, as the child’s permanent custodial parents.
  • Attorneys located the child’s genetic parents by April 2026, and their lawyer says they were heartbroken but declined a custody fight because Florida law strongly favors the woman who gives birth.
  • The Fertility Center of Orlando has closed and both sets of parents plan or have filed lawsuits against the clinic and its doctor; questions remain about other embryos and pending parentage testing for material moved to a new clinic.
  • The episode has prompted scrutiny of clinic lab practices and oversight of IVF—reporting cites past regulatory shortcomings at the facility and highlights gaps in chain‑of‑custody protections for frozen embryos.