Couple sue Florida clinic after alleged embryo mix-up

A couple is suing a Florida fertility clinic after discovering their baby born following IVF was not genetically related to either of them.

An anonymous couple, known only Jane and John Doe, underwent IVF treatment with the Fertility Centre of Orlando, Florida. The woman gave birth to a child in December 2025, following the transfer of an embryo which she believed was created using her egg and her partner's sperm. However, despite both parents being of caucasian ethnicity, the child appeared not to be caucasian, prompting the couple to seek genetic testing. Following the tests, it was confirmed that the baby was not genetically related to either parent.

'The heartbreaking and unexplained in vitro fertilisation errors described in our recently filed lawsuit remain unresolved. While our clients continue to fall more deeply in love with a beautiful little girl who is someone else's child, they are also living with the unbearable knowledge that there may be one or more of their own children unknowingly in the care of strangers,' an attorney for the couple said in a statement for News 6 Orlando.

The couple have filed a lawsuit against the clinic, aiming to reunite the child with her genetic parents and determine the whereabouts of their embryos. The lawsuit says that despite having developed an 'intensely strong emotional bond' with the child, the couple understand that 'morally' and 'legally' she should be united with her genetic parents.

The couple claim that they reached out to the clinic directly after receiving the genetic test results but did not receive a response. They then filed the lawsuit demanding emergency relief from the court.

In a statement for News 6 Orlando, the couple's attorney continued: 'It is unimaginable how such mistakes could have happened, and it is inexcusable how the doctor and clinic responsible for those mistakes could be running from the consequences of their reckless conduct. It is a mystery why they are refusing to voluntarily cooperate in trying to undo the mess they have created, but that refusal has required us to seek emergency court intervention...'

The filing demands that the court compel the clinic to disclose details of the complaint to all patients who had embryos in storage at the time of Jane Doe's embryo transfer, so they can determine whether the girl is their biological child, and whether they received the couple's embryos.

It also demands the clinic cover the costs of genetic testing for all relevant couples and children over the past five years while the clinic has had custody of the couple's embryos. Finally, the suit asks that the clinic ‘disclose any discrepancy in the parentage of the children of all patients whose birth resulted from embryo implantation... during the past five years.'

The Fertility Centre of Orlando said in a statement that it is '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.'