Should never have been admitted but even if withdrawn it has been heard. The point here is they are literally hearing a sex case disguised as a hush money matter.
This is a jury trial. What is or is not technically illegal doesn’t mean anything unless the judge takes responsibility to instruct the jury on the issue. All these shady dealings might be just SOP, but they sound really bad when told in court.
What is the difference between “hush money” and “blackmail payoff”?