Don't comment on something (church annulment) you obviously don't understand. A church annulment is not the same as a civil annulment. Same goes for the comments from others on this thread that he had his "kids annulled".
That is not what church annulment does. The children are legitimate. A church annulment (and don't count Mel's breakaway church as representative of the Catholic church) says that one, or the other,or both, parties to the marriage had an impediment (mental or physical) that made a true marriage impossible.
An annulment is granted only after a Church Tribunal hears and studies all the evidence, and it's a lengthy process. The party seeking the annulment has to gather the evidence, including written testimony from parents and others who knew the couple before and after the marriage took place.
The money you talk about is NOT a bribe as many imply. The money pays for copies of all the paperwork and the associated court costs and can be very little. My daughter's annulment cost around $250 in Seattle about 16 years ago. The Tribunal appointed an attorney to represent her. In her case, her husband was mentally ill and had not disclosed that fact before the marriage. He also had undergone a vasectomy before he met her and had not disclosed that fact either.
Another little known fact. The Church does not deliberate on an annulment until the couple already has been granted a civil divorce. And another complication is that the Church will not consider an annulment unless BOTH parties file their paperwork, or at least sign off on the process. In my daughter's case signing off was merely that her ex returned teh papers with "Don't bother me about this" scrawled across them and his signature at the bottom. That proved that he had received the papers and that was enough to start the process.
And she sought the annulment on the advice of several different priests. It was a bad situation.
IN MY OPINION, The whole process is a farce!!!! My friend’s was over $1000. She said she wouldn’t do it again!!
And don’t forget the witnesses so many people need to fill out question pertaining to knowledge of the couples marriage and their personality traits. then they give what they think is considered important to the conflict of interest in the marriage. the money paid is like a fee for paper work and proceedings. And I also know someone who was being physically abused and didn’t have to pay the whole amount.