The parents at the centre of an IVF mix-up scandal have come to an agreement with their child’s biological family.
Tiffany Score and Steven Mills’ daughter Shea was born in December, and they were shocked to discover she appeared to be a different race to them.
Their story was covered by multiple publications in February when it was reported that they were suing the Fertility Center of Orlando in Longwood, Florida.
Now, court documents show that the two sets of parents have reached a custody agreement that sees Tiffany and Steven granted permanent custody of Shea.
According to filings seen by The Guardian, Tiffany and Steven explained to the court that they had an ‘intensely strong emotional bond’ with Shea and wanted to keep her in their care.
They added that, although they loved their baby fiercely, they also knew their daughter should be ‘legally and morally united with her genetic parents.’
Shea’s biological mother has not been identified in the court proceedings, only being referred to as Patient 004.
Tiffany and Steven had three embryos stored at the Florida clinic, according to the Orland Sentinel.
The publication reports that one embryo resulted in a miscarriage, one was moved to a new facility, and the third is reportedly unaccounted for.
In a statement previously shared previously, the couple said: ‘Only one thing is as absolutely certain as it was on the day our daughter was born – we will love and be this child’s parents forever.’
Shea’s biological parents have also spoken out via their lawyer, Rob Marcereau, who told NBC News: ‘They had to make the heartbreaking decision to not fight for custody.’
He added that while they would have loved to have been Shea’s caregivers, they ‘just didn’t feel that that was going to be what was in the best interest of Shea.’
