Callum Jones
A couple from Florida who are suing a fertility clinic after an 'embryo mix-up' have spoken out after their newborn's biological parents were found.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills welcomed their third child in December last year and after struggling to conceive naturally, they decided to go down the path of IVF to have more kids.
The pair went through the treatment, which involves the woman's eggs and the man's sperm being fertilised outside of the mother's body, with what they thought was without any hiccups.
However, a lawsuit filed against The Fertility Center of Orlando noted that both Tiffany and Steven are white, but their IVF-conceived newborn is 'a racially non-Caucasian child'.
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Subsequent genetic testing revealed that baby Shea was not biologically theirs, with Tiffany and Steven since revealing that their baby's biological parents have been identified.
Jack Scarola, the couple's attorney told People: "The results of testing delivered to us today confirm that our baby's genetic parents have been identified."
Tiffany and Steven plan to keep Shea's biological parents identities 'confidential', adding that they 'fully intend to cooperate in respecting their privacy'.
On behalf of their attorney, the couple added: "This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved. In addition, questions about the disposition of our own embryos are still unanswered and are even more unlikely to ever be answered.
"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."
Tiffany and Steven have previously spoken about wanting to raise Shea despite the newborn not biologically theirs.
It remains unclear at this time who will be parenting the fourth-month old going forward.
Scarola added to People: "The current legal proceeding will remain open to address those matters. However, we expect that we will now also begin to focus on the need for our clients to be compensated for the expenses they have incurred and the severe emotional trauma that they endured and will continue to experience."
In a now-deleted statement published on its website, the Fertility Center of Orlando stated that were 'actively cooperating with an investigation to support one of our patients in determining the source of an error that resulted in the birth of a child who is not genetically related to them'.
The statement was removed following a hearing for the case in January.
UNILAD has previously reached out to the clinic for comment.