EXCLUSIVE

Britney Spears Dad Lashes Out Against Online Haters ... Sues for Defamation

Britney Spears' dad has had enough with online blogs which have accused him of mistreating his daughter ... and now he's suing to make it stop.

Jamie Spears is suing on behalf of Britney's conservatorship, alleging Anthony Elia -- the creator of the popular "Absolute Britney" blog and social media accounts -- defamed him and the rest of Britney's team when he said the team was manipulating Britney's Instagram account to create the illusion she needs help.

In one post, Elia accused Jamie and co. of deleting positive comments from Instagram in order to highlight the negative comments ... giving a false impression Britney was doing way worse than she actually was.

Elia is accused of falsely suggesting Britney's team -- directed by Jamie -- is "using her social media in a way to negatively portray her and do her harm." In other words, Elia suggested Jamie was making Britney's condition seem worse than it was in reality.

Elia went even further, saying, "This has to be a human right's violation?"

The lawsuit, filed by celebrity lawyer Larry Stein, is suing on behalf of Jamie, as the conservator of the Britney Spears Estate.

What really seems to upset Jamie is that, according to the lawsuit, Elia made his comments out of a "gut feeling."

Sources close to Britney tell us the online rumors created by Elia and other fan accounts have gotten so bad that law enforcement has gotten involved. We're told death threats have been made to just about everyone involved in Britney's conservatorship ... many of which have been taken seriously.

Our sources say reports of Britney being prohibited from driving or using a personal cellphone are simply untrue ... and backed up by photos of her out in her car and using a phone.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney checked into a mental health facility in March. The singer became distraught over her dad's illness and needed some time on her own to heal. She was released a short time after and is back home, focusing on her family.

Click here for info about our online advertising practices.