the future minimum lease commitments under these leases at december 31 , 2010 are as follows ( in thousands ) : years ending december 31: .

2011
$62,465
2012
54,236
2013
47,860
2014
37,660
2015
28,622
Thereafter
79,800
Future Minimum Lease Payments
$310,643

rental expense for operating leases was approximately $ 66.9 million , $ 57.2 million and $ 49.0 million during the years ended december 31 , 2010 , 2009 and 2008 , respectively .
in connection with the acquisitions of several businesses , we entered into agreements with several sellers of those businesses , some of whom became stockholders as a result of those acquisitions , for the lease of certain properties used in our operations .
typical lease terms under these agreements include an initial term of five years , with three to five five-year renewal options and purchase options at various times throughout the lease periods .
we also maintain the right of first refusal concerning the sale of the leased property .
lease payments to an employee who became an officer of the company after the acquisition of his business were approximately $ 1.0 million , $ 0.9 million and $ 0.9 million during each of the years ended december 31 , 2010 , 2009 and 2008 , respectively .
we guarantee the residual values of the majority of our truck and equipment operating leases .
the residual values decline over the lease terms to a defined percentage of original cost .
in the event the lessor does not realize the residual value when a piece of equipment is sold , we would be responsible for a portion of the shortfall .
similarly , if the lessor realizes more than the residual value when a piece of equipment is sold , we would be paid the amount realized over the residual value .
had we terminated all of our operating leases subject to these guarantees at december 31 , 2010 , the guaranteed residual value would have totaled approximately $ 31.4 million .
we have not recorded a liability for the guaranteed residual value of equipment under operating leases as the recovery on disposition of the equipment under the leases is expected to approximate the guaranteed residual value .
litigation and related contingencies in december 2005 and may 2008 , ford global technologies , llc filed complaints with the international trade commission against us and others alleging that certain aftermarket parts imported into the u.s .
infringed on ford design patents .
the parties settled these matters in april 2009 pursuant to a settlement arrangement that expires in september 2011 .
pursuant to the settlement , we ( and our designees ) became the sole distributor in the u.s .
of aftermarket automotive parts that correspond to ford collision parts that are covered by a u.s .
design patent .
we have paid ford an upfront fee for these rights and will pay a royalty for each such part we sell .
the amortization of the upfront fee and the royalty expenses are reflected in cost of goods sold on the accompanying consolidated statements of income .
we also have certain other contingencies resulting from litigation , claims and other commitments and are subject to a variety of environmental and pollution control laws and regulations incident to the ordinary course of business .
we currently expect that the resolution of such contingencies will not materially affect our financial position , results of operations or cash flows. .

Question: Analyse this data from a financial earnings document. what was the percentage change in rental expense for operating leases from 2008 to 2009?
Choices:
-0.98163
975.73469
-0.16735
-582.9551
0.16735
Correct choice index: 4