IVF mix-up: Florida family pushes for genetic testing to identify daughter’s genetic parents

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - A family continues to look for their daughter's genetic parents after a mom gave birth to a girl not genetically hers in an IVF mix-up, but they claim the clinic who allegedly transferred the wrong embryo isn't providing information in the process. 

What we know:

Parents Tiffany Score and Steven Mills are looking for their daughter's genetic mother – a feat their attorneys say is creating more questions gone unanswered. 

In December 2024, mother Tiffany gave birth to her daughter, Shay. However, the parents – who underwent fertility treatment to conceive Shay – quickly realized their daughter was not genetically theirs. 

Test results showed that Tiffany and Steven have no genetic connection to Shay, their attorney said during a Feb. 17 case hearing. 

Parents search for daughter's biological parents

Now, the parents are undergoing the process of identifying their daughter's biological parents, something they need the clinic's – at which they underwent egg retrieval and embryo transfer at – cooperation with. 

The mother first underwent an embryo transfer in April 2025 – giving birth to a girl in December. 

"We love our little girl, and if possible, we would hope to be able to continue to raise her ourselves with confidence that she won’t be taken away from us," the family said in a released statement. "At the same time, we are aware that we have a moral obligation to find and notify her biological parents as it is in her best interest that her genetic parents are provided the option to raise her as their own."

In order to find Shay's biological parents, the family's attorneys want the clinic to identify its entire patient population and provide the means to undergo genetic testing. However, the clinic said this is a violation of HIPPA and patient confidentiality.

Medical records may not be discussed with anyone other than the patient, except with written permission from the patient, attorneys for the clinic said. 

Attorneys for the parents suggested that a third-party conduct the genetic testing and only relay information if there's a genetic match. The clinic's attorney agreed, saying, "We’re all here on the same page with regard to confidentiality."

Where did the IVF ‘error’ occur? 

The fertility clinic allegedly responsible is the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood and Dr. Milton McNichol, information from a lawsuit against the clinic said. 

The clinic said it's actively cooperating with the investigation to determine the source of the error. 

When did the ‘error’ take place? 

Attorneys for the family have identified two "risk pools," during which it is possible the IVF mix-up occurred. The first risk pool is the date of the egg retrieval: March 26, 2020. They believe the retrieval risk pool was when the error occurred. 

The second risk pool was identified as April 5, 2025 – the date the embryos were transferred. 

"This is the second time a switch could have occurred," the parents' attorneys said. 

Attorneys for the clinic said the embryos being taken out was a five-day process, with multiple patients per day. They said there's a small population involved in the retrieval and an "extremely" small population involved in the transfer. 

Most of the patients in the retrieval pool have been contacted – less than 20 – the clinic's attorney told the judge. Some patients haven't responded. Due to the small number of patients on these two dates, the clinic believes it increases the risk of patient identification. 

"We don’t want to unload data in front of the court, without knowing the type of data that we have," the clinic's attorney, Frank Pierce, said. 

One remaining embryo

The parents are also concerned about one remaining embryo that's currently in cryo at the clinic. The parents are trying to regain possession of their last embryo from the clinic, however, they're also not sure – based on their past experience – that the embryo is genetically theirs, their attorney expressed. 

One last straw has Tiffany's name, her attorney said. 

The parents would like steps to confirm if the embryo is theirs, however, "we would not want this defendant to be biopsing this embryo," their attorney said. They're asking that the embryo be moved to another place to conduct testing. Regardless, genetically testing an embryo requires it to be thawed, which also puts it at risk. 

Have any genetics tests taken place? 

What we don't know:

The parents' attorney said they're not even asking for names right now. In fact, they've already identified some patients who have reached out to them. Rather, the family is looking for numbers. 

Attorneys for the family want to know if the clinic has contacted any families regarding genetic testing. They asked: how many of those people have actually been contacted? How many have been asked whether they consent to genetic testing? Have test results been obtained? When can they expect to be received?

"These are the questions that cause Tiffany Score and Steven Mills to spend sleepless nights because they not only have no idea what the answers to those questions may be, they have no idea whether those questions have even been asked and when there's any reasonable expectation of when they might be answered," their attorney said. 

The parents' attorneys said they're being contacted on an almost daily basis with people wanting to be tested to see if they're genetic matches to Shay. 

"There are patients who are not only willing, but anxious to resolve those issues by waiving confidentiality concerns," the plaintiff's attorney said. 

The attorneys suggested the patients are made aware that the clinic will cover all genetic testing costs and be assured of their confidentiality. Testing for both groups will be at the defendant’s expense. 

An independent third-party can examine those test results without disclosing them to us, the plaintiff's attorneys suggested. Preserving confidentiality can be done. They suggested that the waiver needs to clarify that they won’t be part of public record. The judge tasked the parents' attorneys with drafting this waiver and reaching an agreement with the defense. 

What's next:

"It is of great concern to the court that there’s a potential child out there that has been identified as part of this transfer process that is requested genetic testing," the judge said. 

At this point, the judge said she hasn't seen deadlines from the defense being met. It’s not clear if all individuals identified in stage 1 of categorization have been identified, and it’s not clear if they’ve created a waiver form inviting people to sign up for testing, she said. 

The judge ruled to conduct a weekly status conference. 

Additionally, the defense will comply with discovery by Feb. 23.