A DigitalPoint Forums thread has the first documented case, I have seen, where a Google AdSense publisher who was banned, received a payment from Google.
Here is the timeline: - Google banned his AdSense account on the 7th of the month - On the 28th, Google sent him a payment via electronic transfer
Google would logically pay AdSense publishers for valid traffic. So if his account was banned for other reasons or even if some of the traffic was valid, there is no reason why Google shouldn't pay the publisher. Of course, I believe, Google has the right not to pay publishers who violate their terms of service.
So is this publisher lucky? Some folks in the forums believe so.
Forum discussion at DigitalPoint Forums.