The incident happened on July 16th, 2015 after a flight from Schiphol to Barcelona. The pilot wanted to confirm the identity of two intoxicated passengers who behaved poorly during the flight. They refused to cooperate and the police were called in. The passengers tried to flee, and when the pilot tried to stop them, he was assaulted.
Afterwards the pilot and crew did not feel safe to fly back with new passengers and returned to Schiphol on their own. Another plane was sent for the waiting passengers, who eventually departed for Schiphol over 4 hours late.
Knowing their seats means you know their names.
It's that easy.
Didn't seem necessary to get involved in a scuffle then 'not feel safe' and fly back empty.
Strange sequence of events.
Yes to the court ruling.