'Deadliest Catch' Deckhand Todd Meadows' Family Wants to File Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Late "Deadliest Catch" deckhand Todd Meadows' family is lawyering up ... and they're going to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Todd fell overboard and died at sea while working on a fishing boat back in February ... and according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the family is indicating the wheels are in motion to try to open his probate estate and hold some folks legally responsible for Todd's death.

It's unclear who will be named as a defendant in the forthcoming lawsuit ... Todd was working on the Aleutian Lady and "Deadliest Catch" cameras were rolling when he fell into the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska and drowned.

We broke the story ... Todd's official cause of death was "drowning with probable hypothermia" and "submersion of body in cold water."

Todd's mother, Angela Meadows, previously told us ... "We don’t want to put the blame on anyone, but someone has to take responsibility. We will have justice for Todd."