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A Florida couple who became the parents of a child not genetically theirs through in vitro fertilization (IVF) will retain permanent custody of the baby, court documents reveal.Tiffany Score and Steven Mills came to an agreement with the biological parents of their baby, Shea, earlier this month.The child's biological parents are choosing to remain anonymous and are only identified as Patient 004 in court records.What do court records state?Records state that the parties "have come to a mutually devised custody agreement." As part of the agreement, Score and Mills will "continue as the permanent custodial parents of their daughter."The agreement was filed in court on June 12.Shea's biological parents were identified in April after couples at the fertility center underwent genetic testing to determine their identity. Score gave birth to Shea on Dec. 11 after undergoing IVF at the Fertility Clinic of Orlando in April 2025. The baby appeared to be a different race than the couple, who are both white.DNA tests revealed Shea is 100% South Asian.Couple sues the fertility clinicThe couple is now suing the clinic, IVF Life Inc., and Dr. Milton McNichol, the doctor who ran the practice, for negligence.In a statement provided to USA TODAY in April, the couple said: "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."Now that the custody agreement is finalized, the couple is trying to determine what happened to the embryos that were supplied to the clinic. The couple is concerned that other patients may have been implanted with their embryos, have become pregnant or are the parents of one or more of their biological children.The lawsuit requests that the clinic undertake free genetic testing for all patients and children whose births resulted from embryo implantation during the past five years, the amount of time the clinic had the couple's embryos in its possession.Earlier this year, the clinic informed patients it would be closing, but another clinic – CNY Fertility – would be opening in its place. The clinic did not state a reason for the closure.USA TODAY has contacted the clinic, attorneys for Score and Mills, the biological parents and Dr. Milton McNichol for comment.Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.
