signed rights away

my mother refinanced her home and put me on the deeds and mortage. Her spouse signed his rights away during the time of the refinancing of the home giving away all rights to any ownership. My mother never put her spouse on the deeds or mortgage from the date she purhcased the home she was not married at the time and during the marraige never did so. She left a will making me the executor and leaving me the home. The spouse and his side of the family said that the spouse was unable to take care of himself and they would put him in a senior home. They lied and he has relatives living with him and got a lawyer to send me a letter stateing that the spousal law works for him. How is this if he signed his rights away during the refiancing of the home in his sound mind and that my mother said in the will she disinherit all except for me. I thought if you sign something you are to abide by it in a court of law. PLEASE GIVE ME ADVISE. I would like to live in the home my mother left for me and my family.

What entails signing rights away? Did the spouse simply take his name off of everything?