Biological parents of baby in embryo mix-up made ‘heartbreaking decision’ not to fight for custody, attorney says

U.S. newsBiological parents of baby in embryo mix-up made ‘heartbreaking decision’ not to fight for custody, attorney saysThe lawyer, Rob Marcereau, said his clients are trying to navigate an “absolutely impossible situation.” The custody agreement allows them to remain in the baby’s life, he said.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleInside IVF clinic’s embryo mix-up 01:32Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 17, 2026, 8:49 PM EDTBy Liz Kreutz, Tim Stelloh and Elizabeth ChuckThe biological parents of a baby born to another couple due to an embryo mix-up in Florida are doing their best to navigate an “absolutely impossible situation,” their attorney said.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Speaking days after the biological parents reached an agreement that allows the child’s birth parents to keep custody of the infant, their lawyer, Rob Marcereau, told NBC News that the last several months have been devastating for his clients. “They are heartbroken over what has happened, and they also understand that the birth couple are also suffering,” Marcereau said. “They had to make the heartbreaking decision to not fight for custody.”The baby girl, named Shea, was born in December to Tiffany Score and Steven Mills, a couple who had undergone in vitro fertilization at the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood, Florida. Score and Mills sued the clinic earlier this year after testing revealed that Shea was not genetically related to either of them.Tiffany Score and Steven Mills with their baby, Shea.Courtesy of family attorney via WESHThe revelation prompted a search for the couple whose embryo had been mistakenly implanted into Score, and in April, Score and Mills’ attorney announced that the biological parents had been found. Referred to in court documents only as Patient 004, the biological parents’ identities have been kept private. The custody agreement will...