I really don't care what the civil law says. Basically the church is saying that your parents weren't married when you were born. I bet that civil law is a great comfort to those who are told their church doesn't think their parents were ever married. And those tribunals are doing a great job in America. Sinatra's first three, count 'em three, marriages were declared null and void so he could marry a fourth time. Excuse me if I'm a little cynical but that is absolute nonsense. If the marriage is sacrimentally unacceptable it never should have happened in the first place for one, let alone three.
Annulments in the Catholic Church these days are cheap and easy.
My parents marriage was annulled and it never crossed my mind that I was illegitimate. It is ridiculous on it's face to insist that I am bastard because my parents marriage was not a sacramental marriage. The only one calling people bastards is you. That annulment was a great comfort to my parents. It meant both of them could return to the sacraments. My father believed he had an obligation to try for an annulment so he could return to the Church if at all possible. I personally think it would be wrong not to at lest try to see if you can get back to the state of grace. I believe every divorced Catholic who has a desire to remarry has an obligation to see if they qualify for an annulment.
Oh sure you hear stories of people who are bitter because their former spouse wanted an annulment and got it. Why would that bother them? Would they rather be out of the Church or in the Church? Would they rather their former spouse be out of the Church or in the Church? If you don't WANT to even try for an annulment, you don't want to go back to the Church and evidently don't want your former spouse to either. What.... is it better to stay bitter, out of the Church and unforgiving of your former spouse? That does not seem very virtuous to me.
So tell me everything you know about these marriages.