White couple gave birth to 'non-Caucasian' baby. Now doctor blamed for devastating mix-up breaks his silence with shock claim

By BEN ASHFORD, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 16:17, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 16:17, 9 June 2026 The sign above the door has changed but a familiar figure is seen striding purposefully towards the front entrance. Dr Milton McNichol might have shuttered his scandal-plagued IVF clinic after an alleged embryo mix-up led to a white couple having a 'non-Caucasian' baby, but a Daily Mail investigation can reveal he is still treating patients out of the exact same Florida office. 'As an employee. I was the owner previously,' insisted 63-year-old McNichol, who was president and head endocrinologist of the Fertility Center of Orlando until it ceased operations on May 20. The clinic was battling bankruptcy and facing multiple lawsuits, most notably a January 2026 complaint from a patient who claimed she was impregnated with the wrong embryo. Tiffany Score and Steven Mills discovered the alleged blunder when they saw their newborn infant had 'the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child.' The clinic agreed in emergency court hearings to begin DNA testing on other couples to find the tot's genetic mom – only to close down weeks later. CNY Fertility now operates the IVF lab and testing facility in Longwood, an Orlando suburb. 'It's completely 100 percent unrelated. Other than there was available space that they could use that they took advantage of,' McNichol said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail. Dr Milton McNichol, 63, abruptly closed his embattled Fertility Center of Orlando last month but has still been treating patients in the same building he had previously worked in The sign above the door may have changed but McNichol was a familiar figure seen striding purposefully towards the front entrance when spotted by the Daily Mail McNichol's clinic ceased operations on May 20 after being hit with a flurry of lawsuits, including a bombshell filing from Tiffany Score and her partner Steven Mills in January The veteran MD is not on the list of fertility specialists featured on the CNY website but he told the Daily Mail that he was working there in a freelance capacity. And he spoke publicly for the first time about the alleged mistake that led to the birth of little Shea Score Mills last December 11. 'These couples take their life savings, they sell their houses, they make tremendous sacrifices to have a child,' McNichol said. 'And when something like this happens, it is horrible. It's absolutely horrible. Not only do you let yourself down, you let your staff down, you let the couple down.' Father-of-four McNichol suggested the 'error' was lab-related rather than something he personally did wrong. 'I practice medicine and I rely on the lab personnel and most often when there are mistakes not related to the physician's performance, it's a lab related issue,' he said. 'That's not to pass the blame. They also are highly skilled professionals but there's always the possibility for human error.' 'As the physician here, I am ultimately responsible,' he continued. 'It's a team effort. When we have great successes, I get the credit. When there are failures, unfortunately, I take the arrows.' CNY Fertility has taken over the IVF lab and testing facility in the Orlando suburb of Longwood where McNichol is now working as a freelancer He is not on the list of fertility specialists featured on the CNY website but told the Daily Mail he was working there in a freelance capacity The Fertility Center of Orlando was a thriving business generating $3.5 million a year in revenue as recently as 2022, according to public records. But for the past two years, McNichol has been plagued by legal problems in both his personal and professional life. Deidra, his wife of more than 30 years, filed for divorce in January 2024. McNichol moved out of the couple's opulent lake-front mansion worth $2.5 million. That same year he was fined $5,000 by the Florida Board of Medicine after a routine inspection identified 'inappropriate sterilization techniques' and equipment that 'did not meet current performance standards.' The clinic was also drowning in debt and in October 2024 IVE Orlando, a business operated by McNichol, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection owing more than $900,000.  The filing blamed cash flow problems and expensive short-term loans that were costing the business roughly $20,000 a week. A federal judge approved a reorganization plan that allowed McNichol to continue operating but several creditors opposed the arrangement and filed appeals. The first of three lawsuits was filed against him in July 2025 when Russell Matthew Wisdom accused the clinic of ruining his ability to have kids with his wife Haylee. Wisdom, 30, froze his sperm while undergoing cancer treatment because he feared it would impair his fertility. But the sperm was 'damaged or destroyed, causing plaintiffs to lose the opportunity to conceive biological children together,' according to the suit filed in Seminole County. McNichol denied liability and the case was settled out of court in January - but his legal problems were far from over.  Little Shea Score Mills was born in December with 'the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child,' according to the suit brought by her parents  In their lawsuit, Score and Mills said they loved their daughter 'more than words' but felt a 'moral obligation' to identify her genetic parents – and to discover what happened to their own embryos That same month Score, 44, and Mills, 47, sued McNichol and IVF Life, the company he operated the clinic under. Score's eggs were fertilized with Mills' sperm in 2020 and three viable embryos were frozen, according to the suit. An embryo was implanted in her uterus in April 2025 and nine months later Score gave birth to a 'beautiful, healthy' girl, the lawsuit says. However, the 'disparity' in her appearance prompted the couple to test the child's parentage. 'That testing confirmed that Shea Score Mills has no genetic relationship to either of the plaintiffs,' the suit says. Score and Mills said they loved the little girl 'more than words can express' and didn't want to give her up. But their suit said they felt a 'moral obligation' to identify her genetic parents – and to discover what happened to their own embryos. The clinic agreed to cooperate, but on March 30 IVF Life wrote to patients encouraging them to 'transition their care to CNY fertility.' Orange County Judge Margaret Schreiber described the sudden sale 'as a bit of a curveball' but an April 22 filing revealed Shea's genetic mom had been identified. 'Testing is complete. The provision of these results has allowed the plaintiffs to conclude their search for the genetic parents of their daughter,' wrote lawyers for Score and Mills, who are seeking damages. 'These patients and the plaintiffs will meet in person to confer regarding next steps. Their identity shall remain confidential.' Previously, McNichol was running his clinic as The Fertility Center of Orlando The Fertility Center of Orlando was a thriving business generating $3.5 million a year in revenue as recently as 2022, according to public records The longtime fertility specialist was spotted going into the newly named clinic by the Daily Mail McNichol told the Daily Mail he couldn't discuss the case but urged readers to consider his hundreds of positive Google reviews before rushing to judgment McNichol is fighting a further lawsuit related to a baby born in July 2025 with thanatophoric dysplasia, a life-threatening skeletal disorder.  Lawyers for the tot's mom claim she had a long history of mental illness and didn't know what she was doing when she agreed to be a surrogate for her cousin. When the child died at ten days old the anonymous Jane Doe suffered severe emotional damage, according to the suit filed March 19 in Seminole County. The intended parents took the baby's body to Guatemala, exacerbating her distress, the suit claims. 'DOE never saw the baby's body and continues to believe the baby is still alive,' the filing says. The lawsuit doesn't blame McNichol for the little boy's death but says he failed to properly screen and evaluate the woman before accepting her as a surrogate. 'In her mind, this woman believes the baby is still around and she is searching for it,' her attorney, Andrew Rader, told the Daily Mail. McNichol's attorney Francis Pierce has filed a motion to dismiss, questioning how the plaintiff can sign legal documents to authorize a lawsuit while being deemed unfit to sign a surrogacy agreement. McNichol said he couldn't discuss the case but urged Daily Mail readers to consider his hundreds of positive Google reviews before rushing to judgment. A graduate of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Southern California, McNichol has won six Patients Choice awards during a medical career spanning more than three decades. He has no plans to retire. 'Most doctors can come home at the end of a difficult day, and say to themselves, wow, I saved a life today,' he told the Daily Mail. 'As a reproductive endocrinologist, I can go to work and say, hey, I started a life today.' CNY Fertility, which has clinics across the US, as well as lawyers for Score and Mills did not respond to request for comment from the Daily Mail. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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